Modern Terms Flashcards
Atonality
Tonal absence of any tonal center
Pentatonic Scales
A five-note scale generally associated with Western music
Polyrhythm
Simultaneous use of varying rhythmic or metric patterns
Polytonality
Two or more chords combined to form a more complex harmonic unit
Modal Scales
A type of scale with melodic characteristics outside of the major or minor scale system, sometimes evoking religious feelings or folk music
Whole tone scales
Scalar arrangement where the pitches are each separated by a whole step
Choreography
human movement and form in terms of space, shape, time and energy, typically within an emotional or non-literal context
Antique Cymbals
Small brass disks that produce a ringing tone when struck together; used in the final section of Debussy’s prelude a l’apres midi d’un faune
Glissando
Rapid slide up or down a scale
Impressionism in Music
Movement came from painting; strove to retain their first impressions
Changing Meter
Metric modulation from one metric meter to another
Petrushka Chord
C Major arpeggio, super imposed on one built on F# major
Symbolism
Character symbolizes the reader’s divided experience of a text
Primitivism
Western art movement borrowing visual form from non-Western people
Flutter Tongue
Wind instrument tonging
Cha-Cha
Cuban dance of origin with energy and a steady beat
Hemiola
Three beats of equal value in the time normally occupied by two beats
Mambo
Cuban rumba; uses a diamond pattern instead of a box pattern with a two-measure phrase
Tritone
Interval composed of three adjacent whole tones
Verse-Chorus Structure
Group of lines in poetry constituting a unit a phrase from scriptures that alternates with a response
Arch Form
Sectional structure in a piece of music based on repetition, in reverse order. Most musical sections are symmetrical most often around the central movement sharing the thematic material
Berceuese
Musical composition in 6/8 time usually resembling a lullaby
Senza Misura
In free time; without measure
